


Run

by Mel638392926



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 15:23:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11992509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mel638392926/pseuds/Mel638392926
Summary: A young girl screamed with a sharp cry of “No, please no!” as she was picked clear up off the ground by one arm. The men just laughed as one of them began to drag her out. Suddenly Arya felt an arm wrap around her and she stiffened. "No! No, no, no" her thoughts clouded with pure panic. She thought she had known fear before this, but she learned what fear truly was in those four days by the store house."Shhhhhh" gratefully she began to breathe again. It was Gendry. He pulled her in close as he scooted to her from behind, his warmth calming her. She was enveloped by him becoming almost nothing and gratefully the guards walked by her without a glance. His arms didn't leave her when a guards walked out, instead his hands pressed firmly over her ears when the screams of the women began. That night for the first time in four days she slept warm and feeling safe. She was Arya Stark and tonight no one would touch her.





	Run

Arya felt the mud beneath her, cold and thick. In the yard of Harrenhall she was left bare to the elements just like all the other prisoners the Lannister’s men had picked up. Thunder crashed in the sky but it was almost as if she couldn't hear it. Even the scent of the pervading horse shit went unnoticed by her. All she could concentrate on was the guards letting themselves in to have their pick of the women. She tried to make herself small in the hopes she would go unnoticed. "Please" she thought "just look past, pick anyone else, just move on". She should have felt bad for wishing that fate upon anybody else but her but truly she didn't care. As she heard the gate slam closed behind the men, she wrapped her hands around her head and pulled herself into an even tighter ball, she was trembling. Four days they had been here. Four days and everything was the same. All day long she would hear the cries of the tortured and all night long she heard the cries of the women. Silence would only fill the yard once those being tortured would, with a final agonizing howl, succumb to the inevitable fate that waited for all of them. “Just make it, one more night, just make it…" she thought over and over again.

A young girl screamed with a sharp cry of “No, please no!” as she was picked clear up off the ground by one arm. The men just laughed as one of them began to drag her out. Suddenly Arya felt an arm wrap around her and she stiffened. "No! No, no, no" her thoughts clouded with pure panic. She thought she had known fear before this, but she learned what fear truly was in those four days by the store house.

"Shhhhhh" gratefully she began to breathe again. It was Gendry. He pulled her in close as he scooted to her from behind, his warmth calming her. She was enveloped by him becoming almost nothing and gratefully the guards walked by her without a glance. His arms didn't leave her when a guards walked out, instead his hands pressed firmly over her ears when the screams of the women began. That night for the first time in four days she slept warm and feeling safe. She was Arya Stark and tonight no one would touch her.

The next morning they awoke with a start, Arya and Gendry jumping apart when the Mountain came in, ungracefully detangling their limbs from one another as they picked them self’s up from the ground. In another life, Arya would have been furious at such a thing, a anyone coddling her, but in this life she just missed the warmth. Everyone around them quickly and silently got to their feet, their eyes never leaving the ground. "Just get through today." she told herself, "Just get through today". She heard the mountains footsteps come to a stop in front of her and her pulse begin to race. "Just get through today"

"You" The Mountain barked out

Her heart stopped beating, and fear started to take her but when she looked up instead of pointing at her his eyes were directed at Gendry.

"No" the words breathlessly tumbled from her mouth but they paid her no mind. The Mountain circled around him began shoving him out of the yard. She went to instinctively follow but hot pie's pudgy hands clasped around her arm like a vice keeping her rooted to the spot. “No, not him, please not him” she desperately pleaded with any god that would listen. His eyes didn't leave hers until he was there in front of the Tickler being strapped into place. For what, Arya knew too well.

"Was there gold hidden in the village?" The Tickler snarled the same questions he asked every day.

"Not from the village" Gendry responded, his voice already flat and dead.

"Where is the brotherhood?"

"I don't know what that is. Not from here"

The Tickler paid him no mind as they begin to strap The Device to his chest. Arya squared her shoulders and would not look away like hot pie and the rest; she would make sure he wasn't alone. Was she crying? Did she even remember how? Sooner or later she would lose everyone, all men must die.

Like a wave, men on horseback began flowing into the yard and everyone froze. A man, stoic and gray, dismounted from his horse and walked over to where the Mountain and the Tickler were. "What is this? Why aren't these prisoners working? Are we so great that we don't need to work our own prisoners?" The lead man rang out. They begin to respond in splutters not quite getting the words out before they were quickly cut off. "And you, boy?" He was speaking directly to Gendry. "You must have a trade. What do you do?"

"I'm a smith, me lord"

"See” He paused, smiling, pointedly smirking, “A smith! We're at war and a smith is too valuable to waste! Unstrap this boy and get him to work along with the rest of them."

As he began to walk off, taking large steps in his stride, everyone instinctively knelt but Arya. She couldn't move she was frozen with shock. She knew who he was. She knew what his family was capable of. The only movement she made was the balling of her fists, so tightly that she could feel the dried mud begin to crack and flake.

"Kneel in front of your lord, boy, or I'll run you through!" One of the guards began to shout at Arya, sword drawn and marching her way.

"You'll do no such thing...” pausing he stepped closer to her with a smug look planted firmly on his face, “and this one's not a boy, it's a girl dressed in boys clothing." He gave Arya a long appraising look, leaning in what she felt like was only inches from her face. She wanted to squirm under his glare but held still in defiance not wanting to give him the satisfaction in knowing he intimidated her. After too long a moment, he shook himself out of his thoughts, straightened up, and began to walk out the yard "As I said get these prisoners to work... and bring the girl, I need a new cup bearer."

Arya had to get out of there, she had to run, she had to get to her brother or certainly she would be swallowed whole for there were lions on the prowl.

In line at the bathhouse, two women were systematically disrobing and scrubbing the prisoners. "We run a clean kitchen here you lot, won't have you mucking it up" she couldn't find Gendry but hot pie was only a few people in front of her and that gave her some relief. Arya assumed that this "courtesy" would only be extended to those to work inside. When they got to her Arya stepped forward and the washing woman wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Some farmers welp you must be." clucking as she picked up Arya’s hand, calloused and cracked from her training with Needle. "Got these from churning butter I suppose? What do they call you child?" Arya was tempted to say Ary but that was a boy’s name and if they didn't know she was a girl by now they would find out soon enough when the woman began to wash her. "Nymeria" was the first name she could grasp at. "But they call me Nan" she quickly added.

Unceremoniously disrobing her, the woman continued to ramble on "this is a good place for a low born welp like you; you can go far here." Arya was plunged into the freezing water and came up splattering for air. "Oh calm down you, it's just a bit of water." Looking up the woman stated to the other who seem to be scrubbing a small boy raw. "This one is defiant. I can smell it on her. I have every right hand her over to Weese. I'm sure he'll work that right out of her!" and they began to laugh.

"I'm to be lord Tywin’s cup bearer"

She looked Arya straight in the eye "See, a defiant one. You watch yourself, girl" and with that she was pushed under again.

Some time later, clean and dressed, she was handed a jug of wine and sent to lord Tywin’s rooms. She could hear her heels echoing down the open and empty halls, it made her feel more hollow. Although, Arya was grateful they gave her a tunic and britches instead of a dress, hopefully that along with her short hair would dissuade some of the men from making any advances. When Arya reached his chambers and walked in, he didn't even look up at her before speaking. "So they tell me you're called Nan” he drew out the monosyllabic name, making it feel long and cumbersome. It was hard to distinguish if this was a question or a statement. He pointed to the cup set in front of him reminding Arya of her place, “Tell me then why was a girl dressed in a boy’s clothing?"

"Safer to travel, my Lord" she meekly responded, playing the part of a scared child in awe of the lord in front of her, though honestly the question was not a surprise.

He carefully watched her as she poured the wine "But not a farm girl like they said, no definitely not" Arya almost spilled the wine she was pouring, panic filled her again. Do I insist that he's wrong?

"No, my lord." Was simply all she said, she thought, “Better too say too little, than too much”.

"It matters not." he said with finality before sipping his wine. "You keep your head down, you pour the wine, and we'll have no trouble” he firmly stated, leaving no room for arguments. 

"Yes, my lord”, she muttered again, not raising her eyes from the floor.

"Now off with you, Lord Bolton will be here shortly and I have work to do." He shuffled some papers before him, his interests already on more important matters, as she exited the room.

"Yes, my lord" at the doorway, with the bow Arya was off.


End file.
